A recent study from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden showed that the U.S. Republican Party has become more like authoritarian parties in other countries like Hungary and Turkey. However, despite some of the similarities between the Turkish and American political landscape, important differences remain.
And as Donald Trump tried to claim victory in the U.S. presidential election, Turkish social media users were reminded of their own domestic politics more than usual.
Comparing reports about the Presidential election to Turkish politics, @erdiyuksel called it ‘The United States of Turkey’.
Some Turkish commentators criticised those who claim Turkey’s elections polarise society, saying that the U.S. was in fact worse in that respect. Justice and Development Party (AKP)-affiliated lawyer Mücahit Birinci said,
“Let those who criticize Turkey’s elections for allegedly polarising society look at the United States. Turkey is a country of roses, I swear.”
Social media user @gokhansama joked that the only thing left to make the U.S. election like one in Turkey would be a repeat of the famous statement of former Presidential candidate Muharrem Ince to a journalist after the 2018 presidential election. Ince went quiet for a long time as votes were being counted, before telling a journalist “The man [Erdoğan] won”.
While it may seem that there are some similarities in the polarised direction of both the Turkish and American political systems, these comparisons can be superficial and overplayed.
Academic Axel Çorlu told Ahval that “Turkey and the U.S. are both extremely polarised, and this affects perceptions of politics for everyone, including analysts. When analysts become influenced by this polarisation, without even being aware of it sometimes, they get surprised to see results they did not expect. But one has to ask, were you really looking into the deep dynamics of U.S. society or were you experiencing a bit of an echo chamber?”
“I don’t think there’s a real chance for the U.S. to take an authoritarian turn like Erdoğan’s Turkey. There are way too many checks and balances for that to happen, regardless of their erosion. In Turkey, they weren’t really there in the first place. It’s fun to say Turkey used to be the little America, and now America has become the big Turkey or something like that, but it only goes so far”, Çorlu said.
The parallels between the U.S. Republicans and Turkey’s AKP are part of a global authoritarian slide which has affected the U.S. to a degree, and countries like Turkey far more. The Republicans have tried to use their power to prejudice the voting system, repealing the Voting Rights Act, disenfranchising prisoners and making it harder for minority groups to vote. This has long been a feature of U.S. politics, however, with citizens having to pay a Poll Tax to vote until 1964, which was intended to disenfranchise black people.
Both the U.S. and Turkey have charted a neoliberal economic course since the 1980s, which has resulted in significant wealth inequality, and in turn, to a decline in trust of others in society and in the political system. These factors have led to the polarisation we are seeing in both countries.
However, one key difference between Turkey and the U.S. is in the lack of a free press in Turkey. Turkish election results are announced by state-run Anadolu Agency, which now gets results straight from the presidential palace. All the other news agencies that used to tally election votes have been closed down or taken over by Erdoğan allies, as in the case of Doğan.
So we should not take the comparison between Turkish and American elections and politics too far. They share some parallels, but start from very different points.
As counting in the final U.S. States continues, it looks increasingly likely that Biden will be able to get to the 270 Electoral College votes he needs for a victory. If he does so, it will be despite voter suppression and gerrymandering, but with the assistance of a largely free press which will give him airtime, and huge financial backing from wealthy Americans who see in him a more stable leader. These are structural advantages the Turkish opposition lacks.
“No matter who the U.S. people choose, we as Turkey are ready to continue to work closely with the U.S. administration,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Wednesday.
“It is also out of the question for us to express a preference or expectation in one direction or another in this regard. This decision belongs only to the people of the United States, and everyone should respect that. In other words, no matter who the U.S. people choose, we as Turkey are ready to continue to work closely with the U.S. administration. Our country has worked closely in the past in a way that is consistent with the spirit of alliance with both Republican and Democratic administrations,” Çavuşoğlu said.
Despite these cautious words, and the closeness of the race, the Turkish Lira continued to weaken against the dollar on Wednesday as markets remain concerned about the incoherence of Turkey’s monetary policy.
Source : ahvalnews.com
